


easy to smile, easy to fall

by eloboosting



Category: League of Legends RPF
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, convoluted plot, not really pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-16 13:14:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13054722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eloboosting/pseuds/eloboosting
Summary: “Did you say free meal?” Seohaeng looks over to see Kyungho framing his face with his fingers, grin as wide as his face.“Are you—” He shakes his head and laughs, asking in complete monotone, “Song Kyungho, will you fake-date me for a free meal?”Kyungho pretends to swoon. “I thought you’d never ask.”Beomhyun guilt trips Seohaeng into going on a double date so he can properly scope out Beomhyun's new boyfriend. Problem is, Seohaeng's not actually in a relationship. Neither is Kyungho. To no one's surprise, it's a gigantic mess.





	easy to smile, easy to fall

**Author's Note:**

  * For [chronoshift](https://archiveofourown.org/users/chronoshift/gifts).



> channeling my inner smeb to say I'm Proud of the tropey chaos this ended up being
> 
> and ty to my lifesaving beta, who is probably the only reason this is done <3 (okay reveals are out, so em ilu, pls make all my fic better even if we disagree about proper punctuation involving dialogue, but you'll never read this so that's what makes this work)

Seohaeng likes his friends; sometimes it’s even arguable that he loves his friends. But right now?

Right now, he wishes he didn’t have friends. Or, well, maybe just one specific friend—

“I can’t go on your date with you,” he says wearily, sighing as Beomhyun proceeds to give him an incredibly pathetic and sad stare. “The last time I tried to inconspicuously observe from afar, your date thought I was a stalker.”

“It’s not the same! You’d just be one of our partners in this cooking class—along with your date.” Beomhyun immediately blusters along, “And anyway, I need your opinion! You know I have terrible taste in men.”

“Remind me why you can’t just introduce me as your friend?”

“I don’t want to know if you like him when he’s on his best behavior,” Beomhyun says. “I want to know if you like him when he’s not on guard.”

Seohaeng squints at him, trying to figure out if Beomhyun’s really going this far this time.

“You know what happened with my last boyfriend,” Beomhyun continues, and the thing is, Seohaeng does, knows exactly how much of a disaster that had ended in—with Beomhyun sleeping over at his apartment more often than not for the better part of two weeks, sobbing into his shoulder most hours he was awake.

“I don’t even have a date to bring!” Seohaeng tries, his last escape.

“You can bring a friend,” Beomhyun wheedles, like he can sense Seohaeng’s defenses weakening. “I’ll pay for the entrance fee, it’s free food! Please, Seohaeng.” Beomhyun breaks out the sad eyes again, paired with a pout that’d charm even the fiercest tiger into cuddling with him—and wow, he’s actually going this far this time. “You know how much I value your opinion. This is really important to me, and I want to know what you think.” Beomhyun adds in an exaggerated sigh for good measure. “Before I fall too far.”

Seohaeng knew from the very beginning he’d eventually cave, but he’d never thought it’d be so fast—he must be losing his touch. “Fine,” he says, and puts a hand up before Beomhyun can rush out any more words. “But you better treat me to dinner sometime after this, too.”

He suffers through Beomhyun’s hug, eventually softening enough to return it. “Anything your heart desires,” Beomhyun says into his sweater, and at least there’s that.

-

When he gets home, he finds Kyungho, his lazy ass of a friend and roommate, lying on the couch, a PS4 controller grasped between his hands while FIFA blares from the TV. He watches Kyungho fail a shot on goal, clapping lightly as he makes his way into their kitchen while Kyungho scowls at him.

“How was lunch?” Kyungho calls out.

“You know Beomhyun—dramatic as always,” he says, and he hears Kyungho hum in agreement. He grabs a beer from the fridge before walking back to their living room and slumping on the couch next to Kyungho, stretching out his legs until their knees touch. “He has a new boy.”

Kyungho laughs. “When does he not?”

Seohaeng sighs. “Yeah, but this time he wants me to go on a fake double date with him so I can scope him out.”

He watches the game freeze into a pause, and looks over to see that even Kyungho seems stumped. “Wow.”

“I know, right?”

“Yeah,” Kyungho says. “Why would he ask you and not me? I’m obviously a better judge of character.”

Seohaeng just raises an eyebrow at him. “You told him to keep dating that weird café guy so you could keep getting free coffee.”

“That was one time!” Kyungho protests. “And seriously, that coffee was really good.”

“Your taste buds are broken,” Seohaeng says dryly. “You’d drink radioactive sludge and think it tastes delicious.”

“I know how to enjoy the finer things in life! I’m just cost-efficient most of the time.”

He pokes Kyungho in the belly. “More like you have a black hole instead of a stomach.”

Kyungho pinches his cheeks in return, hard enough for it to almost hurt. “I’ll take that as a compliment.” He lets go when Seohaeng starts to really dig his finger into his side. “So you said double-date, right?”

Seohaeng sighs, because he’d almost forgotten that part of the deal. “Yeah,” he says tiredly. “I can't think of anyone who’d do something this stupid for a free meal.”

“Did you say free meal?” He looks over to see Kyungho framing his face with his fingers, grin as wide as his face.

“Are you—” He shakes his head and laughs. This will end poorly, he thinks, but that doesn’t stop him from ignoring the clenching of his stomach, asking in complete monotone, “Song Kyungho, will you fake-date me for a free meal?”

Kyungho pretends to swoon. “I thought you’d never ask.”

-

Beomhyun’s patented genius plan ends up being a cooking class, with four people allocated per station. Except instead of being randomly paired with another poor couple, it’s Seohaeng and Kyungho, two of Beomhyun’s closest friends, who will then have the perfect angle to properly observe and judge Jongin, Beomhyun’s newest boyfriend and the victim of this whole scheme.

“This is dumb,” Seohaeng says right after Beomhyun finishes explaining. “What’re you going to do if you keep dating? Won’t he be suspicious that these near strangers you have just met are constantly at your side?”

Beomhyun frowns. “That’s not important.”

Of course it’s important, but once Beomhyun gets into one of these plotting moods, it’s nearly impossible to force him to see logic. So Seohaeng gives up, plaintive as he says, “You’re going to drop me for a boy.”

Beomhyun gasps. “I would never.”

“You already have!"

“Seohaeng,” Beomhyun says, scrunching his face up into something sad and pitiful. “You know you’re my best friend, and if you really don’t want to—”

Seohaeng sighs, because he’s definitely done more humiliating things for Beomhyun for much less. “No, it’s fine, just don’t forget me in your marital bliss.”

“Well, I don’t know if we’ll get married yet,” Beomhyun says dreamily, and Seohaeng resists every urge in his body that tells him to face-palm.

-

Kyungho breathes out a low whistle when they walk up to the building their date’s located in, and Seohaeng silently agrees. The cooking school is fancy and obviously newly constructed, walls an understated but undoubtedly expensive gray with a pristine white marble floor. The receptionist at the desk takes one look at them before smiling professionally, waving at the elevators. “The 7 o’clock lesson is on the eighth floor.”

Eight floors, Kyungho mouths at him, letting out a laugh once they’re safely behind the elegantly decorated doors of the elevator. “Where in the world have we been transported to?”

“Beomhyun’s dream life,” Seohaeng replies, leaning back against the railing and laughing himself. “He must seriously want to impress his date.”

“I did wonder why he insisted on choosing our outfits,” Kyungho says, pulling at the collar of the one neat, knitted sweater he owns—a birthday gift from Beomhyun. “I know Beomhyun likes nice things, but damn.”

“He chose your outfit because he knew you’d try to wear a t-shirt and joggers otherwise,” Seohaeng says dryly. “When’s the last time you went on a date, anyway?”

Kyungho frowns, a crease forming between his eyebrows. “I’ll have you know I’ve been on plenty of dates.”

Seohaeng snorts. “Yeah, back like three years ago during university.” He looks up at the floor icon and quickly wraps an arm around Kyungho’s, just in time for the elevator doors to open with a pleasant ding. “C’mon, we don’t want to keep our lovebirds waiting.”

“This isn’t done,” Kyungho hisses, but he arranges his face into a picture-perfect smile, eyes warm and pleasant with his hair parted neatly to the side.

They make a show of looking at the numbered plates on each table even when Seohaeng can see Beomhyun chatting amiably with his date, a giant man that stands a head taller than him, and seriously, Beomhyun’s obsession with height has reached new levels. Beomhyun’s last ex, Gyeonghwan, had been a few inches taller, but this man dwarfs even him.

“Aha, twenty, that’s us,” Kyungho chirps, looking back at Seohaeng with disturbingly besotted eyes. “Oh darling, we’ve kept our partners waiting.”

“It’s no problem,” Beomhyun says easily, holding out a hand that Kyungho accepts readily, almost forgetting to bow until he sees Beomhyun tilt forward. “Kang Beomhyun.”

“Kim Jongin,” the man next to him greets, bowing as well. “It’s nice to meet you both.”

“Song Kyungho,” Kyungho replies, looking back and nodding at Seohaeng. “And this is my adorable peach, Lee Seohaeng.”

Kyungho’s smile is as wide as it is false, and Seohaeng laughs it off uncomfortably. “Hello.”

Fortunately, he’s saved from more cringeworthy small talk by the instructor clearing her voice at the front of the room, introducing herself and the recipe and the venue, and Seohaeng finds his thoughts drifting as she delves into technical French terms he’s never heard before. He focuses more on the excessive number of times he catches Beomhyun shooting glances at Jongin, a dumbstruck smile on his face. Beomhyun’s fallen hard, and he hopes Jongin is someone worthy of that attention. 

He hears Kyungho sigh, feels arms wrap around his middle and Kyungho’s chin dig into his shoulder. This isn’t out of the ordinary for them, but that doesn’t stop the usual warmth that suffuses his chest. It’s something he’s grown used to in his long association with Kyungho, a spark that he’s gotten much better at ignoring with time. “I guess we should get started.”

“I’m not going to make the whole dish for you,” he says, and hears Kyungho let out an even bigger sigh.

“Seohaeng-ah,” Kyungho whines, chin digging deeper into Seohaeng’s shoulder, Kyungho’s head so close to his own now. “We both know you’re the culinarily gifted one of the two of us.”

“Just because I can cook instant ramen without burning it—”

Beomhyun cuts him off by pushing one of the cutting boards against his chest. “We can work together,” he says firmly, a fixed smile on his face. “I hope dicing onions isn’t too difficult?”

“Um,” he says, appropriately terrified of Beomhyun right now. “No, of course not.”

Kyungho slinks away, placing as much space as possible between him and Beomhyun like the coward he is, pretending to locate some empty counter space and a knife for their assigned job.

Jongin laughs, a little stilted and awkward. “So,” he says, trying for cordial, and Seohaeng appreciates the effort. “What do you two do for a living?”

Kyungho grins, all teeth, and Seohaeng knows he’s going to say something stupid, probably as some unnecessary revenge for what Seohaeng had said earlier. “I’m just your regular office slave,” Kyungho says, and that’s not so bad, maybe Seohaeng’s underestimated him, but then he points a thumb at Seohaeng and drawls, “He’s a porn star.”

Never mind, his intuition is always correct.

Beomhyun coughs loudly, obviously hiding a laugh, while Jongin blinks and gives Seohaeng a slow once-over. “Shut up,” he snaps, elbowing Kyungho in the side while Kyungho settles back against the counter and laughs. “I’m not,” Seohaeng says, cheeks burning hot as he tries his hardest to remain calm. “I work in hospitality.”

Jongin looks satisfied with that answer until Kyungho cuts in, waggling his eyebrows. “Oh, yes, he does. Luckily for me.”

Seohaeng grits his teeth, turning toward Kyungho and saying in a deathly serious tone, “Honey, if you don’t stop—”

“Oh c’mon, sugarpoo,” Kyungho says, casually wrapping an arm around Seohaeng and hugging him tight. “You know I’m just teasing.”

Seohaeng coughs outs a few extremely forced laughs. “Of course, sweetiepie. How silly of me.”

“Well,” Beomhyun interrupts smoothly, already recovered from his laughing fit. “I’m a pediatric nurse, and Jongin’s a pilot.”

Raising an eyebrow, Seohaeng cocks his head to the side. “Wow,” he says truthfully. “Those both sound like busy jobs—how’d you meet?”

Jongin smiles, looking over at Beomhyun with an expression that can only be described as smitten, and Seohaeng likes him already. “That’s a funny story, actually,” he says with a laugh, while Beomhyun blushes. “My nephew had fallen sick, so I was visiting him and my brother in the hospital.”

Kyungho looks vaguely disgusted by the story, perfect meet-cute and all. “And Beomhyun was one of the nurses treating him?”

“Ah,” Jongin laughs awkwardly, raising a hand to scratch at the back of his neck. “No, actually. I only saw him in passing, when he was reading to one of the other kids. I, uh. Asked him if he’d read to my nephew, too.”

“No, you asked me if I’d read to you,” Beomhyun says, cheeks also red, and Seohaeng spots the way he places his hand on Jongin’s. “I was definitely confused but, um. Flattered.”

“That’s—” Kyungho starts. “Wow.”

Jongin leans over to kiss Beomhyun on the cheek. “I know it’s a little corny, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.” They look at each other with utter adoration in their eyes, and Seohaeng can only agree when Kyungho turns to him and whispers something about feeling sick.

The best part about the whole “date” is that Beomhyun hard carries them through the whole process. As the sole member of their friend group in university who came equipped with life skills, Beomhyun had been their designated chef and nanny. And even here, he lives up to his title, with Seohaeng and Kyungho merrily chatting away with Jongin while Beomhyun busily minds the stove.

“If you touch the pan before the meat’s done cooking I’ll have your tongue,” Beomhyun says absently, and Kyungho guiltily draws his hand back. Jongin looks even more besotted by the moment, even when Beomhyun is wishing bodily harm on supposed strangers.

They’ve spent around an hour together at this point, and Seohaeng’s sure they’re made for each other, considering how overbearingly into each other they are—the way Jongin complements Beomhyun’s personality, buffering his anxiety and neuroticism with a shield of impenetrable tranquility. If only they could end this whole farce early and allow him to escape the innumerable stupid pet names Kyungho’s come up with for him.

And, speak of the devil— “My cute pororo,” Kyungho croons. “Help me with the table settings?”

-

As promised, Beomhyun takes them out to dinner a couple of days later to their usual barbeque restaurant, only sighing slightly when Kyungho starts ordering everything on the menu.

“I’m not made of money,” Beomhyun complains, but it's lighthearted and he laughs while Kyungho whines about how he’s still growing, and how will he get taller unless he eats meat?

“The only direction you’re growing at your age is sideways,” Seohaeng adds, and Kyungho turns to him with a glare.

“Just because you’re slightly taller,” he says. “Just you wait.”

Seohaeng leans over to pat him on the head condescendingly. “I hate to break this to you, but it’s been like this since the day we met.”

Kyungho smacks his hand away, scowling furiously at him when Beomhyun cuts in. “You two know I love watching you argue, but—”

Seohaeng rolls his eyes, while Kyungho shrugs off the insult and stuffs another piece of short rib into his mouth. “I like him—he’s nice, seems like a good guy.”

Beomhyun gasps. “Do you really think so?” he gushes, and Kyungho coughs and almost chokes on a piece of perilla leaf. Beautiful. “Because I really like him, and—”

“Beomhyun-ah,” Kyungho complains, casual and flippant as he points at the empty grill, and Beomhyun dutifully places more meat to cook. “He’s totally in love with you. And you’ll get free flights from him, so marry the guy already.”

Seohaeng elbows Kyungho in the side. “This is why no one asks for your opinion,” he says. “You’ll tell them anything they want if they feed you.”

“Only meat,” Kyungho corrects, picking at the banchan left on the table until Beomhyun declares the meat done, grinning up at him brightly. “And only for my most favorite hyung.”

“Thanks,” Beomhyun says dryly, but he scoops more meat onto Kyungho’s plate.

“I didn’t get any weird vibes from him—he seems like a perfectly decent guy who’s really into you,” Seohaeng says. “Full pass on my report card—congratulations on finally dating a normal person.”

Beomhyun smiles at him, sounding grateful when he says, “Oh, that’s such a relief to hear.” He starts placing meat on Seohaeng’s plate as well, piling it generously high, and while Beomhyun’s nice, he’s never this nice—

“So Jongin also really liked you guys, too.” This can only lead to bad things, Seohaeng thinks, watching the pile of meat grow even larger. “And he actually wants to see you guys again.”

Somehow, even with the lack of hints, Seohaeng should’ve know that this would all be a trap.

“No,” he says quickly, and even Kyungho looks up in alarm. “Absolutely not.”

“But guys,” Beomhyun says, voice as smooth as honey, and Seohaeng can feel a chill creep up his back—he’s heard this tone too many times, all leading to disaster and terrible things. “My favorite, bestest friends in the whole world.”

Oh, god, no. “You said it would just be once,” he says. “I promised you one time!”

Beomhyun frowns, and Seohaeng swears he won’t give him this, even if he brings out the sad pout like last time. “But he really liked you guys!”

He looks over at Kyungho for support, but he doesn’t look nearly as disturbed as he should. “Will this involve more free meals?”

Seohaeng must have done something wrong in a past life to be cursed with such terrible friends. “Are you some freakish medical monstrosity where your stomach has replaced your brain?”

“Yes,” Beomhyun says, deliberately ignoring him, and Kyungho perks up like the utterly infuriating asshole that he is. “It involves dinner, and I’ll treat you two to chicken later.”

Kyungho slaps his hand over Seohaeng’s, crushing their fingers together. “This perfect couple is happily at your service.”

“No,” Seohaeng says, but Beomhyun continues on like he doesn’t even hear him.

“I’m glad you two have agreed, but there’s just one issue you should be aware of.” Seohaeng knew this was going to happen, knew that one day his life was going to turn into some cringeworthy drama plot that would inevitably end in disaster. “It’s actually a dinner party at his apartment.”

-

“You realize,” Seohaeng says slowly, watching Kyungho unlock the door to their apartment and following him through the door. “That we not only have to convince Beomhyun’s boyfriend we’re a couple, but also every other person at this party?”

Kyungho looks back at him, shrugging with his usual careless sloppiness. “How hard could that be?”

Seohaeng pins him with a dead-eyed stare. “You once said you couldn’t have male friends in case people thought you were dating them.”

“That’s not fair.” Kyungho throws himself on their couch. “You know that one guy in our class was looking at me weird.” He rolls over, smiling winningly at Seohaeng. “And hey, we’re friends, right?”

“Sometimes I wonder,” Seohaeng mutters. He pushes at Kyungho’s legs until he moves them enough for him to sit as well. “We’re going to have to make this convincing.”

Kyungho shrugs. “Sure, whatever you want.” He hooks his legs around Seohaeng’s waist, batting his eyelashes at him. “Anything for my honey bunny.”

Sometimes, Seohaeng wonders if it might be better if he didn’t have friends at all.

-

The dinner party is in a week, leaving them with enough time to practice and figure out how to fit together. Kyungho had thought it’d be a great idea to involve their other friends, which meant they have one Lee Hojin sitting on their kitchen counter, eating all of their snacks while watching him and Kyungho sit awkwardly across from each other at their dining table.

“This is fun,” Hojin says brightly, noisily chomping down on another chip. “This is fun, right?”

“This is the opposite of fun,” Seohaeng says through gritted teeth. Kyungho currently has his hand on top of his, gaze fixed in some hazy middle distance while Seohaeng tries to force eye contact. “Kyungho, look at me.”

Kyungho guiltily draws his attention back, finally looking Seohaeng in the eye. “Okay, this is kind of weird.” He pulls Seohaeng’s hand up, pressing their palms together before tentatively interlocking their fingers.

Hojin blinks. “You guys hold hands all the time,” he says. “You cuddle on a daily basis.”

“Well, now that it’s been pointed out,” Kyungho gripes, turning his head to scowl at Hojin. Seohaeng keeps looking at their hands, feeling something uncomfortably warm crawl down from his head to the base of his neck.

Seohaeng never really noticed how much they casually touched either—not until they had started deliberately started acting like a couple. He’d never found it odd to wrap an arm around Kyungho’s waist or rest his head on Kyungho's shoulder while sitting next to each other, nor did he ever consider all the other infinitesimally small, easy things they’d picked up from years of coexistence—until now.

Now he’s hyperaware of every move he makes in front of Kyungho, conscious of how easy it is to lean back against him when they stand or to touch his knee while they sit. Maybe for them, the problem with faking being a couple was that it was _too_ easy.

“You should practice kissing,” Hojin says, unfazed when both Seohaeng and Kyungho turn to glare at him. “What, maybe they’ll have you play spin the bottle.”

“Hojin,” Seohaeng says flatly.

Hojin just shrugs. “I just don’t get why Beomhyun asked you two,” he says. “I’m his best friend, after all.”

“You’re not in a relationship,” Kyungho says, ignoring Hojin’s raised eyebrow. “And he didn’t ask me, just Seohaeng.”

“And Seohaeng asked you instead of me—I’ve been double-rejected?” Hojin gasps, raising a hand to cover his mouth. “Seohaeng, I thought we had something special!”

Seohaeng sighs. “For the last time, I’ve known Beomhyun longer than the both of you—and Kyungho’s my roommate. It was convenient.”

It’s Kyungho’s turn to gasp in mock horror. “Our relationship is out of convenience?” He brings a hand up to his forehead. “Seohaeng-ah, how could you.”

The joke is just dumb enough for Seohaeng to laugh, shoving at both of his friends until they’re all keeled over laughing. “You’re both dumb,” Seohaeng says warmly. “Let’s just get through this stupid dinner and move on with our lives.”

He feels Kyungho drape himself on his back, head right up against the crook of Seohaeng’s neck, and it feels just as casual and comfortable as it always has. “Of course, my ray of sunshine,” Kyungho murmurs, breath warming Seohaeng’s skin, and Seohaeng continues to deliberately ignore the weird tingle that runs through his body.

-

Beomhyun had requested their prompt appearance at six—“No earlier or later, or you’d cause a scene,” he’d insisted—and so Seohaeng and Kyungho appear at Jongin’s door, Seohaeng holding a moderately expensive bottle of wine while Kyungho fidgets with his tie.

“You’re going to make it crooked if you keep fiddling with it,” Seohaeng says, swatting Kyungho’s hands away from his collar. “I just fixed it like five minutes ago.”

“You tied it too tight,” Kyungho whines, but he drops his hands. “How am I supposed to swallow with this choking me?”

“You don’t,” Seohaeng says, patting Kyungho’s cheek lightly. “You eat too much anyway.”

Kyungho frowns. “You’re the worst boyfriend.”

“And I’m all yours.” Seohaeng rings the doorbell before Kyungho can start yelling, pleasantly surprised to see it opened in seconds by Beomhyun himself.

“Oh, thank god, you guys are here,” Beomhyun says, and Seohaeng can see weariness at the edges of his eyes. “I don’t know any of the other couples and,” he lowers his voice, “They’re all so _boring_.”

“We’ve spoiled you with our presence,” Kyungho says haughtily, lifting his head up with an arrogant sweep. “Aren’t you so lucky to know us?”

Beomhyun pauses, looking down at the doorknob in his hand, and Seohaeng can see him think through the pros of closing the door on them right now. “Ignore him, he’s just very proud,” he says, turning to Kyungho with a glare. “People might get the wrong idea, honey, we just met Beomhyun last week, remember?”

Kyungho rolls his eyes. “What would I do without you, my sweet snowpea?”

Seohaeng drags them both through the door, hanging up their coats before following Beomhyun further into the apartment. “Just act natural,” Beomhyun says, detouring into the kitchen and pouring them both hefty glasses of wine. “Dinner will be done in a half-hour, go mingle.”

Kyungho peeks out the door to the living room before ducking back. “Who even are these people?”

“Work colleagues or something,” Beomhyun sighs. “We wanted to make other couple friends—”

Seohaeng pulls a face. “You guys are moving fast.”

“Don’t want to hear it,” Beomhyun says airily. He gestures again at the door. “Out you go, I have to make sure our meal doesn’t burn.”

“You’re using us as scapegoats,” Seohaeng corrects, not even annoyed when Beomhyun smiles cheekily at him, taking one deep breath before linking his arm through Kyungho’s and walking to their doom.

-

They’ve spent all of fifteen seconds in the room, enough time for Seohaeng to down one good gulp of his wine, before things go wrong. Kyungho’s eyes suddenly widen, and Seohaeng gets pulled into one of the more sequestered corners. “Fuck,” he whispers. “Ex alert.”

There must be some evil force out there that truly hates Seohaeng. “Really?” he asks. “Here?”

Kyungho sighs and drinks down a major portion of his wine—impressive considering Kyungho usually hates the taste. “Well, we dated for like, two weeks.” Seohaeng is incredibly unimpressed. “But what if she recognizes me?”

“You really aren’t that memorable,” Seohaeng says dryly, but Kyungho is too busy panicking to respond. “Look, it’s probably not a big deal—”

He gets cut off by Kyungho swinging them around, knocking their heads together. “I think she saw us.”

Things are starting to become more suspicious by the moment—this seems like a complete overreaction for one of Kyungho’s flings. “Who is she,” Seohaeng says, not even bothering to ask it as question.

“Um,” Kyungho says. “So remember that time in second year when I was really stressed out about exams?”

Seohaeng is still unimpressed. “We were always stressed out about exams.”

“But, that one time I was uh, casually dating a few girls at the same time. Without telling any of them.”

Seohaeng closes his eyes, dismissing the curling in his stomach as disgust. “You cheated on her.”

“In my defense, we never made it clear we were exclusive.”

“Kyungho—”

He doesn’t get to say anything else, not when Kyungho whispers out a flustered, “sorry, sorry,” and proceeds to pull Seohaeng in for the worst kiss he’s ever had in his life. Their faces smack together painfully, and Kyungho’s glasses dig into his cheek, and their lips aren’t even properly aligned, and he hates everything because Kyungho is warm against him and he doesn’t mind.

He doesn’t mind that his idiot of a roommate and best friend is kissing him to hide from his dumb past mistakes, and—speaking of dumb past mistakes, Seohaeng thought he’d gotten over this years ago.

 

-

Seohaeng had a crush on Kyungho for the two minutes between seeing Kyungho for the first time and hearing Kyungho speaking for the first time. Roommates were randomly assigned by the university, so Seohaeng knew there would be a good chance he wouldn’t get along with his roommate—a stranger he was assigned to share space with.

The first thing Kyungho said to him was something along the lines of, “Hey, I know I’m awesome, so don’t be too jealous,” with a cocky smirk and cheesy finger guns, and it was in that moment that Seohaeng realized he’d be spending most of his time in Beomhyun’s dorm.

Unfortunately, Beomhyun’s roommate had been even worse than Kyungho, and Beomhyun ended up escaping to Seohaeng's room more often than not. Fortunately, Kyungho didn’t end up being as much of an asshole as he had first come off as. Underneath the shiny veneer, Kyungho was careless, messy, and overly competitive—traits that haven’t changed even now—but he was kind.

He was easy to talk to, funny and earnest and diligent and so very incredibly straight. Kyungho clung so tightly to that piece of his identity it was almost comical—and Seohaeng didn’t have time for Kyungho constantly shouting “no homo” after even touching another guy. Kyungho’s face was nice to look at, and that’s as far as Seohaeng would allow himself to think.

By the time Kyungho went through his gay panic phase in their third year—over Lee Sanghyeok, an infuriating, cocky second-year genius who probably didn’t even know Kyungho existed—Seohaeng’s feelings were long gone, buried deep somewhere in his mind to be packed away with other useless knowledge, like linear algebra and obscure history.

(Kyungho and Sanghyeok eventually dated for a torrential month before they mutually broke it off. Seohaeng got a front row seat to a drama he would never pay to see.)

-

Most likely through Beomhyun’s planning, Kyungho and Seohaeng get placed right next to Beomhyun and Jongin at the table. It’s one of those long dining tables Seohaeng so often sees in movies, made purely for occasions such as these, and it thankfully keeps them out of view of Kyungho’s ex. Being next to Beomhyun comes with a lot of perks: good conversation, close proximity to food, and easy access to alcohol, which Seohaeng needs a lot of right now.

He doesn’t know how many glasses of wine he’d run through during their mingling session, where Kyungho had apologized again for the kiss but kept his head close, presumably to shield himself from view. Seohaeng wouldn’t mind drinking from the actual bottle at this point.

“Being a pilot must pay well,” he says, a little drunk enough to be rude, patting the top of the table. “This table is probably longer than my room.”

Jongin just laughs, and Seohaeng already deems him worthy of Beomhyun. “Enough,” he says. “Honestly, most of the interior design was done by my sister.”

Kyungho has a hand on his knee that Seohaeng can’t deal with—doesn’t know whether he wants to be sober or more drunk to parse through his thoughts. “Seohaeng-ah,” Kyungho says, sounding concerned. This must be an alternate universe, for Kyungho to be the responsible one. “I think you’ve had a lot to drink.”

He turns and pats Kyungho on the cheek. “Apple of my eye,” he coos, leaning his head on Kyungho’s shoulder and letting himself enjoy the intimacy. Just this once, he’ll let himself pretend that there’s a future where he and Kyungho end up happily in love. “What would I do without you?”

Kyungho moves his hand from Seohaeng’s knee to clasp his hand. “That’s what I should be asking you.”

“You know, I realize I never asked last time,” Jongin says casually. “How did you two meet?”

“In university, actually.” Kyungho lets out a little laugh, teeth perfect and cheeks just slightly pink. “We were roommates.”

“Wow, that’s lucky,” Jongin says. “Almost like a fated meeting, huh?”

“Yeah,” Kyungho says, sounding almost fond. “You could say that.”

-

Seohaeng isn’t so impaired that he can’t walk on his own, but Kyungho still slings an arm around him to better stabilize him. It’s not unlike another night out drinking, except Seohaeng is usually the one escorting a drunk Kyungho back home.

“See, that wasn’t so hard,” Kyungho says, as they walk through their door, trying not to sound smug, but Seohaeng’s known him long enough to hear it anyway. “We make a great couple.”

He pushes Kyungho's arm off, heading straight toward the kitchen to pour himself a glass of water. “That we do,” he says, tired and more frustrated over Kyungho’s wording than he should be. “Congratulations, we’ve earned ourselves another free dinner.”

Kyungho laughs. “I wonder if Beomhyun will need us again.”

The idea of going on another fake date with Kyungho hurts, and it’s dumb, because he shouldn’t feel this way anymore. He’d gotten over Kyungho long ago back in university, had successfully ignored what was in front of him this whole time—and it’s unfair for one stupid meaningless display of affection to bring it all back to the forefront. Seohaeng doesn’t even _want_ these feelings.

“I think we should stop,” he says, spitting out the words before the sentimental, hopeful part of him can take them back.

Kyungho looks over at him curiously, tie already undone and shirt half unbuttoned. “Are you breaking up with me?”

It’s easy to play this off as a joke, just more fake flirtation on top of the farce they already lived. “Yes,” he chokes out, the word taking most of his energy with it. “Beomhyun can find other couple friends.”

“Oh,” Kyungho looks a little lost, but his usual smile is back in record time. “Man, I must’ve been one terrible boyfriend if you’re breaking it off after two dates.”

Seohaeng smiles, although it probably looks more like a grimace. “You’re going to make someone really happy in the future,” he says, hoping the bitterness he feels doesn’t slip into his voice. “You’re a good guy.”

“Well, that was never in question,” Kyungho says, self-assured as always. He tilts his head back, raising his arms into some exaggerated pose, and Seohaeng lets out a weak laugh. “Who could say no to this?”

“Who could,” Seohaeng agrees. He shrugs, waves a hand quickly. “Anyway, I’m going to go to bed.”

Kyungho’s smile softens, and it’s things like this that Seohaeng hates the most. “Dream of me,” he teases.

“In another life,” he says, and resigns himself to a restless night.

-

Beomhyun doesn’t ask them again, because when they arrive at the dinner he owes them, Jongin’s sitting next to him. Kyungho startles, and Seohaeng sees him reach for Seohaeng’s hand before he hesitates.

“It’s fine,” Jongin says. “Beomhyun told me the truth.”

“And you’re still dating him?” Seohaeng asks.

Jongin laughs. “Honestly, I suspected something was up the first time, since you guys acted really familiar for strangers,” he says. “But it was nice to meet you both. Beomhyun can be so guarded about his personal life.” He holds out a hand, grin bright as ever. “Let’s start over—hi, I’m Jongin, Beomhyun’s boyfriend.”

“Seohaeng,” he offers. “Beomhyun’s best friend.”

Kyungho coughs. “Actually, I’m his best friend.”

Seohaeng rolls his eyes, sighing wearily. “Seohaeng and Kyungho, Beomhyun’s best friends.”

“The best friends a person could have,” Beomhyun agrees. “Also the most expensive to upkeep.”

Kyungho shrugs. “I’m still growing,” he says, looking over at Seohaeng as if daring him to respond.

But he doesn’t feel up to taking the bait this time, instead bluntly getting to the point. “You asked us to fake-date each other.”

“The best friends I could ever have,” Beomhyun repeats, flipping his menu open. “Best friends who do me enormous favors and who I gladly treat to dinner.”

Jongin laughs, and Seohaeng shrugs off the arm Kyungho tries to rest across his shoulders. He doesn’t look up from the menu, and he eventually feels Kyungho’s knee press up against his leg.

Ever since the night they ended their fake relationship, Seohaeng’s tried his best to avoid touching Kyungho needlessly while still pretending that nothing’s changed. But the more he draws back, the harder Kyungho tries to make up for the gap, until they end up in some unstated game of tag that Seohaeng refuses to lose.

He shifts his leg away, ignoring the way Kyungho tries to follow. He smiles at whatever Beomhyun’s just said, and spends the rest of dinner relatively quiet while dodging all of Kyungho’s questioning looks.

-

There’s no other way to put it, even when it sounds petty and cowardly: he’s ignoring Kyungho.

They’ve always been busy with work and managing their lives, but at the end of the day, they've always spent a majority of their free time together. It was out of both genuine interest and habit—four years of coexistence in university and two more after graduation had a way of engraining routine into their souls. So he’s sure his absence will eventually be noticed, but for now, Kyungho seems to accept his excuse of a heavy workload requiring him to spend most of his time out of the apartment, when he’s really just bothering his work colleagues, Jonghun and Jongik.

“Don’t get me wrong,” Jonghun says, and Seohaeng knows from there that everything will be going wrong. “But have you even gone home one day this week?”

“I’ve gone home at least twice,” Seohaeng says defensively.

“What an achievement,” Jongik says dryly. “Has your roommate figured out you’re avoiding him?”

“I’m not!” It sounds weak, even to Seohaeng, but he ignores the incredulous stares of his friends anyway. “We’ve had a lot of work to finish up.”

“We’ve always had a lot of work to finish up,” Jongik points out. “That never stopped you before.”

He’s great friends with Jongik and Jonghun, but this is honestly the last thing he wants to talk about or even think about at this point. “We’re done.”

Jonghun sighs. “Just think about it.”

Considering his circumstances—he won’t.

-

He lasts another two weeks before Kyungho finally catches on. It’s a conversation that’s been a long time coming, and Seohaeng feels at least somewhat prepared by the time Kyungho locks him down. There’s no point in making excuses or trying to escape, not when they live together and it’s all too easy for Kyungho to knock on the door to his room and have his undivided attention.

“Um.” Kyungho looks uncharacteristically off-balance, trying too hard to seem confident, eyes wide and smile crooked. Seohaeng’s known him for years though, has lived through all of his moods and meltdowns, and he knows exactly when Kyungho’s bluffing. “So.”

“So,” Seohaeng repeats, and they stare at each other in silence for a couple more minutes until Kyungho hunches in on himself, collapsing into a chair. He’s always been the more impatient one, wanting his answers at the same rapid-fire pace as he lives his life.

“So,” Kyungho says softly, fake assurance shed and leaving only weariness in its stead. This isn’t a Kyungho Seohaeng’s used to seeing, not the loud, brash, arrogant mess he’s known since their first day of university. It’s the Kyungho he only sees when the lights are off and Kyungho can pretend he’s talking to himself, the Kyungho who pulled Seohaeng out in the middle of exam week their third year of college to climb through a bathroom window onto the roof of their chemistry building to drink beer and stare at the clouds.

It’s a stripped-down version of Kyungho; more vulnerable, more truthful, and all that more dangerous.

“So,” Kyungho says. “Will you tell me what’s wrong?”

Well, this is easy. “No.”

Kyungho frowns. “Will you at least talk to me?”

“What’s there to say?”

Kyungho has never been one to beat around the bush, and he’s just as blunt even now. “You’ve been avoiding me.”

“I have,” he says, because he owes Kyungho at least this much.

They lapse into another period of silent staring, and Seohaeng is almost hopeful that this is how it ends—

“Why?”

There are many ways he can play this, but he decides on, “Why do you think?”

“I think,” Kyungho says slowly, “that we fucked up in communication somewhere.” He steps forward, and it takes everything in Seohaeng not to back away. “When we first started pretending to date, everything was okay. But then I kissed you.”

“You did.”

Kyungho steps closer, until their faces are just inches away. “You started avoiding me.”

He looks away. “I did.”

He feels Kyungho’s hand on his cheek, pushing Seohaeng back to face him. He tips his head forward, letting his forehead rest against Seohaeng’s—and he’s too close, too fast, and Seohaeng needs his stomach to stop squirming and his face to stop burning. He needs Kyungho far away from him right now so he can think properly, to have some semblance of control over his body back.

“I think we had a misunderstanding,” Kyungho says. Seohaeng gulps, and crosses his eyes trying to keep them focused on Kyungho’s face. “I’ve missed you. I didn’t hate the kiss. We were fake dating, but—” He laughs, soft and barely more than a huff of air between them. “But I would’ve preferred it if were real.”

Seohaeng blinks. “You—”

He gets cut off when Kyungho finally closes the distance, pressing their lips firmly together. “Seohaeng,” he murmurs. “My sweet peach, my honey bun, my courageous tiger—” Seohaeng scowls, kicking at the inside of Kyungho’s foot until Kyungho laughs. “Seohaeng, will you date me for real?”

There’s nothing left to say. “I thought you’d never ask.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> -this fic is brought courtesy of me playing after school's because of you on repeat  
> -it's floor 8, table 20 = 8/20 is the day ROX won 2016 LCK Summer (:  
> -as with basically every college au I write, a part of my own college experience is inserted in. in this case, there are several accessible rooftops at my college, and one of them required you to climb out the window of the boy's restroom on the third floor of our chemistry building
> 
> hey cute yuletide recip, if you haven't guessed already~~ ilu, hope you enjoyed the gift <3


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